Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Asperger's and/or Gifted Dx after Your Child's Dx?

I agree with DeeDee. FWIW, I took the test for me and for my ds. I came out as extremely hopelessly forever NT, which is me. My ds came out 1/2 - 1/2 Aspie/NT. In real life, we know he's not on the Autism spectrum, but has developmental coordination disorder. He's had a counselor in the past who has worked with clients with autism, and when she was first working with ds felt he was somewhere on the spectrum based on those very similar symptoms. What we found through multiple evaluations is that there is an overlap of "symptoms" associated with DCD, ASD, ADHD, ODD etc.... and it is *really* important, if you have a child who you are concerned is struggling with a challenge, to have them evaluated by professionals.

Best wishes,

polarbear

ColinsMum, how did you feel misidentified? Too NT or not enough? I am curious

I could have written the original post (there are several reasons why my handle is a shortened form of Stranger in a Strange Land, only half of which being the fish out of water experience of the long term expat/immigrant). And I have looked long and hard at myself and the family tree since my son was diagnosed.

But I still id'd as resolutely NT on that test (also on the quicky one from Wired): 45 Aspie, 162 NT. Of course I suck at multiple answer tests -- I always want to ask "what's the context" and "what do you mean by 'a little/a lot'" (which probably means I screwed up on a lot of those questionnaires I filled for my son). Ironically the test puts me more on the physical side of the graph than the intellectual -- I was id'd as gifted (degree unknown) in elementary school and used to be the quiet girl with glasses and her nose in a book in middle/high school.


The difference between pop quizz character traits and recognized disability is that section of the diagnosis criteria that says "the disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning".

Sigh.

I'm "highly gifted", dysgraphic, an introvert, probably ADD, and tremendously uncoordinated. I scored 148 for Asperger's and 60 for NT, with the result "You are probably an Aspie." The only area where my scores were more NT than Asperger's was in social/communication, which is, in my opinion, a pretty important area to consider for a disorder whose primary symptom is deficits in social communication.

I would add that my son, who has a formal Asperger's diagnosis, is often blissfully unaware of his habitual movements or sounds, or that his behavior is a little odd, or that other people have a problem with any of his quirks, or that people may be getting bored or frustrated with him, and so would probably have answered in the negative for many areas where he should have chosen "often", had he taken this "assessment". I think Asperger's "diagnosis" by self-reporting of symptoms, particularly in the area of altered social behavior and interactions, is a staggeringly unreliable measure.

LOL!

I *think* I get the social cues, but considering how some people react to me (our preschool's director once told me some teachers found me scary ) I might be deluding myself.

DD was identified as HG about five years ago. Neither my husband or I was identified as gifted and we never felt gifted. Quirky, intense and out of step, yes; gifted, no. When I stumbled on the concept of 2E while researching IQs, I put my forehead on the desk and cried. It explained soooo much of the pain and confusion I had experienced over the years.

DS9 is identified as 2e, but is not AS. He is HG and has ADHD, dyspraxia, dysgraphia and probably dyslexia, but definitely not AS. In fact, he may be one of the most popular kids at his school. Older kids come up and high five him and the little girls all bat their eyes at him (good looking kid, if I do say so myself).

I am pretty certain I am not AS. I am almost too sensitive to people's feelings and reactions to me. But that does not stop me from asking the questions I need answered, even if I know they are irritating, and I do not back down when I know I am right. I also have an intense dedication to fairness and truth, which seems to piss a lot of people off. I get along well with service people day-to-day, but sometimes have serious conflict with co-workers. I cannot go along to get along. I cannot give false praise. I cannot do things I know are stupid or poorly thought out for any length of time. I know that if I could, my life would be easier, but I cannot.

Coming to grips with m own 2e-ness has not been easy, but it has been a good thing overall. I can now step back from my behaviors and understand them. I used to believe that my intensity and hyper-focus was a serious personality defect that I needed to remedy. Now I see that it is inborn and what I need to do is manage how I direct it toward others. When I do that well, it can be a really positive force.

I also now compensate for my deficits without feeling totally humiliated by them. I have two really notable problems as an adult. One is that I am severely navigationally challenged (god I love my GPS) and I don't hear (figure/ground) very well. So when I am in a lecture or meeting situation, I know to sit close to whoever I think will be the main speaker, I take notes and I am not afraid to make people repeat if I need to. Before, I would not really understand much of what went on. When I need to drive somewhere new, I take time to figure out in advance as much as possible. Technology has made wonderful advances here, so this gets easier and easier for me to negotiate. But if I am carpooling with friends, and they wonder why I am using GPS for someplace I have been five times already, I am just honest. It is what it is. Before I would have driven solo so I could hide my disability.

So, in answer to your question, yes, I was clueless about the giftedness and the LDs before my kids were identified. I have not pursued any type of formal DX for myself, although I consider trying ADHD meds occasionally since they work well for my son. But just the insight I have gained about my own intensities and quirks has been hugely beneficial and improved my ability to function in the world.

From your post, it sounds like at least some of your issues are related to giftedness. But it is all extremely heritable, both the IQ and the LDs. If the kid(s) have it, there is probably some genetic predisposition inherited from the parents. I don't know what the research says about the AS, but I know that statistically, most families are pretty tightly clustered around a certain part of the IQ bell curve and that if a kid has ADHD, there is a strong probability that at least one parent has it too.

Did anyone really take it seriously? I hope not. We took it with as much seriousness as we would a glam mag quiz.

Very interesting... this is very much how it is with me... excepting the service people part. I don't always have issues there, but it seems to happen way more often than when I was younger. Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

NCmom2, what do you consider your second "E" to be? I'm curious because you do sound very much like my DD, who does not have a dx outside of giftedness but whom I consider somewhere on the gray edges of ASD...perhaps. I feel like she does KNOW that people don't like what she's saying or doing but that her compulsions towards rightness and fairness keep her going forward regardless.

IMHO, these types of people (referring to ultramarina's description of her DD above) are an important part of society because they are the whistle-blowers (when needed), strike leaders, people who have the guts to go up against things that might be legal but are morally wrong (for example, slavery).

There would never be any types of really important changes if there weren't, here and there, the type of people who not only recognize something that's really wrong but are so passionate that they're not stopped by worrying about what people will think about them.

It's sort of a hard personality to have but I don't see a Dx attached to it. It just needs to be "managed" I suppose and channeled.

It's tied into being an enforcer/punisher.

"Studies have found that social cooperation and punishment go hand in hand. In fact, punishment is often an altruistic act: Enforcers uphold fairness and order despite very real personal costs. Whether the punishment they dish out is just and warranted or sadistic, enforcers also face "social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or death itself," writes retired army lieutenant colonel Dave Grossman, author of On Killing."

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200904/field-guide-the-enforcer-the-punishers